Nghe An deploys 'bubble model' to ensure epidemic prevention safety in schools

Students of Cua Lo town return to school after the epidemic

2:00 p.m., grade 1 and grade 2 students at Nghi Thu Primary School –Cua Lo townwill start the first period. However, at around 1:15 pm, the homeroom teacher and school support units such as the militia, youth union, medical staff, etc. arrived at the school to prepare for duty.

From outside the school gate, teachers, students and parents were instructed to stop their vehicles to pick up and drop off their children in specific designated areas. Before entering the school gate, students were instructed to wash their hands with sanitizer.

Students of Nghi Thu Primary School wash their hands with sanitizer and have their temperature taken using an automatic machine. Photo: My Ha

From the main gate, students will also be separated into separate paths to enter each classroom. The process from home to classroom is almost closed and minimizes contact between parents and parents; between teachers and students of each class.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuc - Principal of the school said: Organizing direct teaching in the context of the complicated epidemic is a difficulty, so teachers, parents and students have to make many more efforts. But we determined that this is a blessing and students need to go to school as soon as possible to ensure the quality of teaching in the context of constant epidemic prevention.

Up to this point, after 4 weeks of switching to online teaching due to the reappearance of Covid-19 cases in the community, students in Cua Lo town have returned to school to study normally.

The traffic flow is done from outside the school gate. Each class will have a separate parking space and pick-up and drop-off area for parents and students. Photo: My Ha

This decision was made after the Covid-19 epidemic had been basically controlled in the area because no new cases of infection were detected. However, the resumption of teaching and learning must also be carefully considered and calculated because previously, at Nghi Hai Primary School, an infection cluster had appeared in the school, infecting 15 students and 1 teacher. Up to this point, this is also the most dangerous case of infection in a school in the province.

To ensure the safety of students returning to school, Cua Lo town has developed a detailed plan to provide specific instructions to each school. In addition to disinfecting and regularly cleaning the entire campus, desks, chairs, and school supplies, implementing the 5K messages is a mandatory requirement.

Students enter the classroom through separate entrances for each grade. Photo: My Ha

In addition, to ensure social distancing, the town has divided the classes into two sessions, morning and afternoon. Regulations on ensuring epidemic prevention in the classroom are strictly implemented, such as not organizing recess for the whole school but organizing each class into separate areas, encouraging recess in each class; not organizing collective activities, gatherings of large numbers of people, extracurricular activities, field trips, not saluting the flag at the whole school, only organizing flag salutes in the classroom, limiting activities with the participation of many classes; not using toys and learning tools made of unsterilized materials (electronic toys, water-absorbent toys, etc.).

All schools in Cua Lo town have been equipped with automatic disinfection and body temperature measuring machines. In addition, parents of many classes have also equipped each class to ensure absolute safety for students. Photo: My Ha

Notably, in the proposed plans, Cua Lo Town requires schools to thoroughly implement the "bubble model" to ensure absolute epidemic prevention safety, avoiding widespread infection if unfortunately there is a case of a student testing positive for the virus.Covid – 19.

Mr. Phung Duc Nhan - Head of the Department of Education and Training of Cua Lo town said: "The bubble model" is a model that has been applied in many schools abroad and we can simply understand that students maintain all activities in class groups from home to school and from school to home.

After-school activities will be maintained in the classroom, including recess. Teachers during transition periods will also limit going to the office to avoid contact… Parents will not enter the school when picking up and dropping off their children. This epidemic prevention method will somewhat limit the risk of spreading the disease.

Safe teaching in epidemic areas

In addition to Vinh city, some localities in the province have also reported cases of Covid-19 in the community. However, up to this point, in-person teaching and learning in schools is still taking place normally. Classes or schools with students infected with Covid-19 will be isolated so as not to affect the organization of teaching and learning at schools.

Teachers at Long Xa Primary and Secondary School (Hung Nguyen) check the body temperature and record all those who come to work at the school. Photo: My Ha

Long Xa Commune (Hung Nguyen District) has just had 1 case of Covid-19 in the community. Immediately after discovering this case, the Board of Directors of Long Xa Primary and Secondary School notified all parents and thereby discovered 6 cases of students in the F2 category. At that time, the whole school still maintained learning, except for the F2 students who temporarily stopped going to school. After having negative results, the students have now returned to school as usual.

Ms. Tran Thi Tuyet - Principal of the school said: When there was a case of infection near the school, parents and teachers were confused. However, we coordinated with relevant departments and agencies to analyze and eliminate possible cases of infection. After determining that the risk of spreading in the school was not high, we still decided to let students go to school as usual.

Some classes have students in the lockdown area, teachers will organize both direct teaching and recording lessons via Zoom so that students can follow the lessons at home. (In the photo: Class time of students at Nghi Huong Secondary School (Cua Lo town). Currently, the school has 32 students in Nghi Loc district and students in the lockdown areas who cannot go to school yet.) Photo: My Ha

In the whole Hung Nguyen district, there are also some other localities with cases of infection in the community. But at this time, schools still organize direct teaching and only isolate in dangerous areas such as in Chau Nhan, Hung Phuc, Hung Loi communes.

Ms. Cao Thi Mai - Deputy Head of the District Education and Training Department said: At this time, we prioritize epidemic prevention above all else, but we also have to take advantage of the golden time to organize teaching for students. Therefore, the district's viewpoint is that in safe places, students will still go to school as usual. In places with high risk, we will switch to indirect teaching so as not to affect the general teaching organization in the whole district.

During the pandemic, students are asked to limit gatherings in the school yard. Activities will be organized in each classroom. Photo: My Ha

This is also the plan being implemented by many schools in Thai Hoa and Quynh Luu towns. In addition to "zoning" by school, "zoning" is also done by class if the risk of the epidemic can be well controlled. During the implementation process, many initiatives to ensure safety have also been deployed by schools to achieve the goal of organizing teaching and learning to safely adapt to the epidemic.